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Papa's Posse
A League Champion, Papa's Posse has been one of the most inconsistent teams in the league over the past half decade. Following a season of triumph, Papa's Posse endured two years of bottom-dwelling before finally making its second playoff appearance in 2014. 2011 Draft Papa's Posse was a bit lost in 2011. Their first draft was disjointed and full of mistakes. They took a kicker in the 8th round, earliest in league history. They also took a defense in the 7th. They went Patriot Heavy, drafting both tight ends and their starting running back. But the biggest miscue of the draft was in the third round. They selected Atlanta Falcon Matt Ryan, later lamenting that they had meant to take Matt Schaub and misread the name. Schaub had been taken seven picks earlier by Reign Maker. The mistake would have implications for both teams as late as week 16 of the 2011 season, when they would face off in the very first Championship Game. A Slow Start Papa's draft didn't exactly instill confidence among ownership in 2011. In fact, almost nothing positive can be said about the first eight weeks of the team's first season. One of the glaring flaws seemed to be their operation out the two tight-end set with both players starting for the Patriots. In theory, if one player had a really great game it was because they were taking touches away from the other player. In the opening game of the season, Papa's Posse took the lead into the Monday Night game, a Miami vs. New England ticket that pitted their tight end tandem against #FreeOJ's top WR weapon, Wes Welker. PP held the lead when Welker, with 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter, had a 99-yard touchdown reception that brought #FreeOJ back from the dead. The 213.77-217.50 final was a crushing blow. Things would get worse before they got better. Papa's Posse suffered another Monday Night Football come from behind loss to Reign Maker (then Morning Woodhead) a week later. Ahead headin into the night, Reign Maker's NYG Defense came up big against the St. Louis Rams, holding the team to 16 points and giving RM the 209.63-199 win. Just like that, Papa's Posse was 0-2. As if the two MNF chokes weren't enough, PP lost their first round pick in week four against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Andre Johnson had made at least 7 receptions in each of his first three games but the lone WR to be taken in the first round injured his hamstring and missed the next nine games. Aaron Hernandez, meanwhile, was hurt in week two and missed his next two starts. Battered and bruised, PP limped to a 2-3 record by beating two winless teams. At this point Papa's Posse finally dropped Brian Westbrook and added Marshawn Lynch, a free agent in the LOC who was in the midst of his breakout year for the Seattle Seahawks. Unfortunately for PP, Lynch would miss weeks 6 and 7 due to the bye week and a small injury. To add insult to injury (no pun intended), WR Santana Moss broke his left hand in week 7 against the Carolina Panthers. A team one full of high hopes had been knocked down one too many times. Now at 2-6, the season looked as good as over. Team of Destiny If there was one thing Papa's Posse wasn't going to do it was quit. Dropping Santana Moss, PP picked up Minnesota Defense to cover for his defense's bye week and then parlayed the D for Jacoby Jones to fill the WR vacancy left by the injured Moss a week later. Following a walk in the park victory over Paddock 9 (then Warwick Kswiss Tubes), the playoffs were back in range. PP needed a lot of things to go right. For one thing, they would need to outscore anyone who they finished the season tied with in order to win that tie-breaker to put them over the edge. That also meant beating teams like bob's bananas and Brak and Yellow, which both had the inside track to the 6th seed down the stretch. Papa's Posse won back to back games for the first time when they beat 4-5 bob's bananas in week 10. They blowout victory couldn't have come at a better time as now both teams were 4-6 and PP owned the point advantage. Also at just the right time, Andre Johnson recovered from his hamstring injury and got the start in week 11. Next they faced 5-5 Big Sacks and would also have to beat them in order to secure the tie-breaker. Worry began to seep in as Andre Johnson was only able to manage 2 receptions for 22 yards. Luckily, Gronk picked up the slack with two TDs and 96 yards. Matt Ryan also played mistake free football, completing 22 passed for 316 yards and a score. Papa's Posse won 254.07-243.33. Now both teams were 5-6 and Papa's Posse also owned the tie-breaker with them. The last two weeks were the biggest challenge for Papa's Posse. It was one thing to beat two mid-range teams with dwindling playoff hopes. Now they would have to face the top two teams in the league. Both #FreeOJ and Reign Maker had secured their first round byes but were still in the hunt for the one seed. That didn't matter to Papa's Posse. They put up 230+ points in both games and handily beat both elite teams. Everyone was getting healthy at just the right time. Still, despite their five game win-streak, they needed help. And they got it. On the last week of the season, Brak and Yellow faced a win and in scenario against bob's bananas. At 7-6, they would be one win better than Papa's Posse if they could beat BB. The Wes Welker 99-yard reception comes back to mind, one play thirteen weeks earlier that could be the difference in Papa's Season. But the Fantasy Gods were smiling down on this team and Brak and Yellow got demolished week 13. Papa's Posse was in the big dance. Championship Run The Fantasy World works in mysterious ways, and the championship run for Papa's Posse was no exception. Their first game was against Fire Goodell (then Pain Train WOO WOO), who earlier in the year had handed them their biggest loss of the season. Questions over Andre Johnson's health lingered, so Papa's Posse went with a lineup that was dominated by Tight Ends and Running Backs, a rare sight in a league that heavily favored Wide Receivers and QBs. The plan worked. Papa's Posse put up an enormous 302.53 points, the highest total the league had seen up to that point. Fire Goodell, who also had made it into the playoffs thanks to a big late season run, went home in the Quarterfinal as Papa's Posse advanced to the semis. The story would have a poetic ending. For the third time this season, Papa's Posse would have to face #FreeOJ and Reign Maker. 1-1 against both teams, the odds were still stacked against the 6th seed. Unfortunately for FOJ, there was no 99-yard touchdown to save the day this time. The Fantasy Gods, who were at odds with FOJ at this point, also favored Papa's Posse thanks to their tireless effort and refusal to quit. More than Papa's Posse own, #FreeOJ lost. They put up the lowest total of anyone in the playoffs. The best tales cannot be made up. Going up against Reign Maker in the first ever LOC Championship Game, Papa's Posse trailed heading into the final Monday Night game of the year. Still fresh in everyone's minds, the first Monday Night Game of the year and Wes Welker's touchdown. This time, it was Papa's Posse that would need a miracle. Matt Ryan was his last hope, facing off against rival New Orleans and getting blown out early. At half-time, New Orleand led 21-10, with Ryan throwing the one TD for the Falcons. What was bad for the Falcons was great for Papa's Posse. Down by three scores early in the third, Ryan had no choice but to pass...and pass a lot. Papa's Posse was down 222.50-175.21, a near insurmountable 47.29 points. And Matt Ryan, the accident, made up the difference. 31 completions, 737 yards and a touchdown. His 65.36 points was the highest total of his season, and since the scoring system would be reformed next season it became the highest of his entire LOC career. Reign Maker was devestated and wouldn't return to the Championship Game until 2014, when he would finally win it all. As for Papa's Posse, the come from behind win was a microcosm of that season of destiny. An underdog from draft day to the final day of the season, PP never quit and neither did his players. He remains the lowest seed to ever win it all. 2012 Draft 2013 Draft 2014 Draft 2015 Draft Insane Papa's Posse After two years of mediocrity, Papa's Posse had made it back to the playoffs. Their one-and-done performance was disappointing but the fact that they were back in the competition was promising. Looking forward, Papa's Posse seemed poised to return to 2011 form. To say they did just that wouldn't be doing justice to the cycle of failure and success that the team followed in 2015. Their first pick, Jeremy Hill, looked like a bust in the early goings. Despite feeling the need to take a top ten running back, they had passed up the opportunity to grab a top 5 TE or WR. Hill would finish the regular season as the 29th ranked back. Hill might have been a problem, but not one that was costing the team games in the early going. The Posse came out of the gate hot, winning three of their first four including two against former champ ma ma momma said and reigning champion Reign Maker. In week one, the team beat momma despite no points from the kicker and just 15.70 points from Calvin Johnson, Doug Martin, and Greg Olson combined. With Heath Miller and Jason Witten on the bench, Papa felt confident in unloading Olson in exchange for a WR with boom potential. On September 19th they approved of a trade that sent Olson to FreeOJ in exchange for rookie phenom Amari Cooper. The first rounder for Oakland made an immediate impact and helped them to victory against TEAM MANBEARPIG in week three. Winners of three of their first four, Papa's Posse knew they had work to do. The team boasted the league's lowest point total through four weeks, lower even than 1-3 Paddock 9's output through the same four weeks. It was only a matter of time before the lack of production caught up to them. In week 5, it caught up. Both Papa's Posse and GaroppoblowMe entered their matchup with one another at 3-1. GBM had just lost their first game of the season thanks to their biggest bye week. Papa was trying out new QB Carson Palmer, who had filled in well for Brees when the Saints signal caller had gone out with an injury against Carolina. Doug Martin, proving himself to be a better draft pick than Jeremy Hill, put up 49.88 points to Hill's 3.83. The team failed to break 200 for a league leading fifth straight game. Things went down(Jeremy)hill from there. The following week they had key players at WR, RB, and TE on the bye. Going up against old nemesis FreeOJ, they somehow still managed to break 200 for the first time this season. Still, it was the first time they recorded back to back losses in 2015 and the losing was far from done. Facing The Shotti Bunch in week 7, Papa's Posse put up their season high 209.85. However it wasn't enough to take down the 2012 champion. Papa was in trouble. They'd fallen below .500 and out of a playoff position. What's worse, their Houston Defense had not performed to the best of their ability. In an attempt to fix this problem they aquired Green Bay Defense off of Free Agency. They would swap the two for the remainder of the season based on the matchups. They would start the highest scoring of the two defenses just once in that span. It felt like the season was on the line in week 8 when they went up against the abysmal Paddock 9. In going over 200 for the third game in a row, Papa's Posse notched their fourth straight loss. Carson Palmer had a 52.11 point day, but Drew Brees exploded for 79.28 on the bench. Also benched, 56 points by the Houston Defense (to Green Bay's 8) and 38.7 points from Ben Watson (to Witten's 3.60). They lost by just 10.54 points. Not only did they bench their win, but it looked like they had also benched their season. Rumors of Papa Posse wandering on the roof of a tall building and dangling on the ledge of a bridge spread like wildfire throughout the league. Paddock 9 tried convincing Papa to denounce the Fantasy Gods and join him in the dark quest to overthrow the all powerful beings. One thing was for sure, Papa had indeed believed that the Gods had forsaken him. Their connection had been lost. However, they did not waiver in their loyalty of the Gods and vowed not to question their powers. This was a turning point in the season. Papa would go on to win four of their last five games. They finished the season with three straight games over 220 points. Their one hiccup was a humiliating 137.72 point performance against ma ma momma said in week 10. That put them in a tough position and basically ensured that another loss would mean elimination. That loss never came. In week 13 they found themselves in a win-and-in scenario with Reign Maker. Essentially the first playoff game of the year, the winner would get to move on while the loser would be relegated to the Consolation Tournament. This was not unfamiliar territory for the Posse. In 2011 they’d needed to win five straight games, including the final game of the season, in order to make the big dance. Familiar with the stakes, the team came to play. Jeremy Hill, fresh off of 17.63 and 16.15 points performances, put up 24.25, his second best game of the season. Doug Martin became the third highest scoring RB in the league by adding 23.38 for 278.03 on the year. However, the star of the game was Darren Sproles, the castoff. Sproles had been the centerpiece of a controversial trade earlier in the season between Paddock 9 and GaroppoblowMe. Sproles was dropped by P9 immediately after being acquired, leading many to believe that the trade was a farce designed to boost the power of GaroppoblowMe while stacking picks for Paddock 9. Sproles ran a punt back for a touchdown en route to 38.15 points. Over the years, Papa’s Posse had become well known for making use of players no one else wanted. He got the production he needed in week 13 and punched his ticket to the playoffs. Because of the downfall of Deez Sons of Bitchez, Papa’s Posse actually ended up as the 5 seed in the 2015 Champions Bracket. That meant facing old foe FreeOJ in the opening round. Papa had eliminated FreeOJ in 2011 on their way to the trophy. Oddly enough, they’d also faced Reign Maker. Was history repeating itself? Knowing it would please the Fantasy Gods, Papa’s Posse took a vow of trash talk silence prior to the game. FreeOJ, not learning from mistakes past, took a shot at PP Wednesday afternoon. Immediately after the diss was fired, FOJ star RB Mark Ingram was placed on IR with a season-ending shoulder injury. It was written in the stars, the Gods still favored the Posse. Franchise Statistics Head-to-Head Records